Kilty heartbroken by drugs cheats
BRITISH sprinter Richard Kilty said the thought of a third of athletes being drugs cheats is ‘heartbreaking’ as the International Association of Athletics Federations denied trying to suppress a report which claimed 29-34 per cent admitted to doping. Kilty will compete in the 100 metres at the World Championships in Beijing, which start on Saturday, an event where five of the finalists could be convicted drugs cheats. ‘It probably won’t be a level playing field but I try not to think about it too much,’ he said. ‘I’ve been in the sport since I was 10 and you’re very naive as a kid. You believe these people are all super talented and work super hard. ‘As you get older, suddenly you start to hear things and see things and it’s heartbreaking.’ A survey carried out by the University of Tubingen in Germany at the 2011 World Championships in Daegu reportedly found doping was widespread among participants, with up to a third admitting using performance-enhancing techniques. The Sunday Times alleged that the IAAF, athletics’ world governing body, tried to block its publication, which they yesterday denied. Kilty, the 60m world champion, will go up against twice drugs cheat Justin Gatlin, the favourite for 100m gold in Beijing, and said he was doubtful the doping landscape had changed much since 2011. ‘I would like to believe it has but, realistically, the cheats are always going to be one step ahead of the testers,’ he said. ‘There’s always going to be something new. It’s very sad. ‘I just try to focus on my own happiness and mental state. But it’s always going to be at the back of your mind.’